Last year, we introduced a virtual battle of the bands, and more than 130 groups emerged from the region's garages, basements and assorted rehearsal spaces to take part. When the dust had settled, Kill the Drama earned your votes as winner of the inaugural Pittsburgh Rocks competition, nosing out Donora, the Will Kills and Mercury.

Now comes Round 2.

The 2009 Pittsburgh Rocks begins today, and all you need to enter is an mp3 of an original song and a photo. Entries will be winnowed to 12 finalists, at which point fans will begin voting online to determine the winners.

First prize: A headline performance June 13 on the Three Rivers Arts Festival main stage and a professionally produced music video by award-winning Post-Gazette videographers Steve Mellon and Matt Freed. Once completed, it will be published at post-gazette.com, which averages nearly 40 million page views a month, and then given to the band for its own publicity purposes.

The second- and third-place finishers will get to open that Arts Festival show.

Other prizes will be announced at a later date.

To enter, go to post-gazette.com/pittsburghrocks between today and May 22. You'll be asked to submit an mp3 file of an original song as well as a photo, bio and contact information. And you'll find other details and a introductory video.

Bands will be judged on musicianship, songwriting and originality. Songs from the top 12 bands will be showcased on our Web site, and the public will begin casting their votes on May 25.

There you have it.

Now, crank those amps. Pittsburgh is ready to rock.